


burn the room, oh i feel it swell

by yuckbarracuda



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:07:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27552820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuckbarracuda/pseuds/yuckbarracuda
Summary: sapnap believed his brief and fleeting conversation with karl was a missed connection, until karl crashes back into his life and sapnap forms a plan with the other that puts their newfound friendship to the test.featuring: all-knowing dream, alex quackity, fake relationships, and sapnap being sapnap
Relationships: Karl Jacobs/Sapnap
Comments: 31
Kudos: 224





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> okayyyyy so first of all, i'm just writing this for fun; i wanted to test write some angst and just ended up writing some karl/sapnap cause i really love their friendship and interactions. if either of them say anything about not liking being in fanfics, i'll delete this immediately! 
> 
> this song is based off and inspired by the song bubbles by hippo campus; the title is from the song.
> 
> hope y'all enjoy!

“so it's over then?”

“i guess so.”

sapnap locked his jaw at the response, staring at the other man in front of him. karl wasn't looking back, instead deciding to fiddle with the sleeves of his sweater. the flush that engulfed his whole face was the only indicator that he was upset in any way. 

“what the fuck, karl?! look at me when you say it, give me that at least,” sapnap ground out, feeling anger boil in his veins. he wasn't even sure what or who he was angry at. karl? himself? this entire fucking situation? maybe a combination of all three. 

karl finally looked up, dropping his curled hands to his sides. sapnap felt as if the wind was knocked out of him at the sight. karl’s eyes were shining with held back tears, his cheeks ruddy, and he was biting his lip as if that was the only thing keeping him from sobbing. it hurt sapnap, so much to see him this hurt. 

“we can't keep doing this. it's not healthy, for either of us,” karl murmured, his voice quiet and shaky. sapnap felt himself grinding his teeth and consciously stopped. 

“who the fuck says so?” sapnap asked, feeling the anger thaw out the cold feeling in his chest. 

sapnap knew that karl was painfully uncomfortable with this whole thing. he had been the moment he had entered sapnap’s apartment. karl avoided confrontation like the plague, and now he had initiated it. it didn't make any sense to sapnap, where this sudden need to break off their...arrangement came from. 

“i do. we're just going to hurt each other in the long run if we don't break this off now,” karl replied, his breath shuddering as he spoke. sapnap felt as if a knife had sunk into his back at the words. 

“so...it's just done, like that? we can't even be friends anymore right? cause it's so fucked?” sapnap let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. karl shrunk beneath the noise. 

“we should just cut each other both off before anything else can happen,” karl admitted softly. sapnap scoffed, and looked away from the other man. 

“everything was fucked the second it started, wasn't it? of course we wouldn't be able to go back to being friends. what a fucking blind idiot i've been then.”

sapnap walked away, feeling drained and tired all of a sudden. it felt like karl had taken his spirit the moment he let those words fly loose into the air. 

“i'm sorry, sap-” karl tried to start but sapnap wouldn't hear it. 

“shut the fuck up, karl. you don't have to apologize. we both fucked up, thinking this wouldn't change anything. it's fine, just leave. i won't bother you again. close the door on your way out. have a nice life,” sapnap said, before entering his bedroom and slamming the door shut.

sapnap leaned against the door, feeling some kind of unbridled hope that karl wouldn't leave, that he'd bang against the door and say he made a mistake, that he was just joshing around, pulling a sick prank. that they could go back to watching cartoons at 2 am and making out on the couch. 

the soft click of the front door closing dashed away any hopes sapnap had left. he slid down to the floor just as the first tears fell.


	2. part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> karl and sapnap meet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't have much to say except oh my god the war on the dream smp was absolutely bone-rattling awesome. that is all

part 1: fuel 

fu·el

/ˈfyo͞o(ə)l/

noun

material such as coal, gas, or oil that is burned to produce heat or power.

_3 months before combustion_

sapnap met karl on a bitterly cold night. 

sapnap had received an alarmingly cheery invite from george about a party dream’s frat was throwing for halloween the morning of meeting karl. “dress up is mandatory, sappitus, or else you won’t get the booze,” george teased over the phone. sapnap was going to reply when there was a garbled noise over the line, some rustling and then dream’s voice spoke into the line: “and no stupid, ordinary costumes either. go big or go home!” 

and that’s how sapnap found himself on halloween night, drinking shitty beer in a red solo cup, a cowboy hat on his head, and freezing his nuts off. the party was packed inside, and there were no fights yet. so a major success, all things considered. 

sapnap had gone outside after an hour or two of hanging around dream, george, and the rest of their friends. sapnap prided himself in being able to goof off and act the most foolish out of anyone, but even he had a social battery, and it was already drained. 

he took a sip of his frothy beer, ignoring the shitty after taste, and relaxing. it was cold for an october night, tiny wisps of breath forming as sapnap exhaled. he was just going to go back inside, brace himself against the squalor of the party, when he caught the sound of sniffling. 

sapnap frowned at the noise. now that he focused on it, he could definitely hear it: quiet cries, little groans of agony and sorrow. he stepped forward on the porch, settling his arms on top of the wooden porch railing and looked around for the source of the sound. 

it took his eyes a moment to focus in the dark, but he finally caught the culprit. there was a tall oak tree on the front lawn of the frat house decked out in orange fairy lights, yellow caution tape, and some kind of red paint. against the tree was a frumpy and dark shape, and sapnap could just about make out the slight movement of a body shivering in the cold. 

“yo!” sapnap called into the cold darkness. a person crying alone at a frat party could be due to a ton of different reasons, and each reason that flashed through sapnap’s brain was more and more terrifying. 

silence greeted his exclamation. the person had gone from making soft noises to growing stone cold silent. it was disturbing, and sapnap felt a little bit bad. this person obviously thought they could have a moment alone, and sapnap had ruined that. but, he reasoned with himself, it was better him than some weirdo or jerk finding the person. 

sapnap leaned farther onto the railing, setting down his now empty cup and waving down at the lump against the tree. “hi there. i’m tipsy and you’re crying. please don’t cry,” sapnap called out into the frigid air. he hoped he’d get some kind of response, but there was not a peep from the other person. 

“look, i know you’re out there. i can see your body! well, kinda. just let me know if you’re okay so i can clear my conscience.” sapnap understood the feeling of just wanting to be alone, after all. if this person just needed to cry out their feelings, sapnap would leave them to it. 

“i’m okay...just cold i guess,” a voice responded from the darkness. finally. their voice was high, and sapnap didn’t know if that was their natural cadence or just how it got when they cried. it took sapnap a moment to decipher the sentence, the alcohol making things more and more fuzzy around the edges. 

“oh, you should have said so!” and then sapnap was pushing himself off the railing entirely and before he knew it he was bounding down the stairs, his knock off cowboy boots picking up the leaves that were scattered along the floor. he marched his way across the small lawn before settling down across from the other person. 

sapnap could just make out the person’s features with the help of the orange fairy lights strewn on the tree. he was a mousy looking college kid, with soft brown looking hair, sparkling eyes that were probably due to the tears, and cheeks that were dusted a bright red. he had his knees up against his chest, his arms encircling both his legs. sapnap’s first drunken thought was ‘ _oh, he’s precious_.’ 

“howdy, my friends say i’m a living furnace,” sapnap explained, grinning at the thought of dream and george. “and the best hugger.” 

“...did you just say howdy?” the other student asked after a moment, looking somewhat bewildered. 

sapnap let out a huff before dramatically tipping his large stereotypically shaped cowboy hat. “i’m a darn tootin’ cowboy, partner.” 

there was a brief moment of silence before the other man choked on a brief laugh, and sapnap could just tell that he had caught it in his throat, that it was the aborted sound of something that could’ve been magnificent. 

“you’re something else, aren’t ya, doug dimmadome, owner of the dimmsdale dimmadome,” the other man peeped out after a moment, and sapnap smiled at the stupid joke. 

“hey, doug dimmadome, owner of the dimmsdale dimmadome is my father. you can call me sapnap,” the cowboy hummed, leaning back on the palms of his hands as he sat. 

“sapnap?” the man questioned, and sapnap saw his eyebrows quirk up in silent confusion. 

“hmm, nick is my actual name, but everyone calls me sapnap so…” he trailed off and shrugged his shoulders. 

“oh, well, i’m karl,” the other man introduced himself. 

“karl with a ‘c’ or a ‘k’ is the question now,” sapnap said, and watched as karl seemed to grow affronted. 

“a k obviously. my parents weren’t heathens,” karl explained, and sapnap laughed at seemingly genuine indignation karl showed. 

“alright, karl with a k, what are you supposed to be?” sapnap asked next, letting his question trail off with a soft “hmm”. he tried to ignore the perpetual warm feeling in his belly, deciding to write it off as the alcohol, even though the buzz he had developed slightly was already wearing off. 

“i’m a wizard,” karl explained, perking up slightly. he picked up something from the ground and suddenly sapnap was faced with a wand, “wingardium leviosa,” karl chanted. nothing happened. 

“hmm, your pronunciation must be off,” sapnap critiqued as he stayed leveled on the ground. 

karl looked almost scandalized. he clutched his wand to his chest as if he just received the greatest insult. “say one more word and i’ll curse your cattle,” karl threatened. sapnap let out a loud bark of laughter. 

“wow, alright discount harry potter,” sapnap cooed back, hoping he’d receive a similar reaction from karl. what he received was even better. 

karl’s face and neck engulfed in a red flame and he let out a scoff. sapnap grinned. he also noticed that the tears had entirely disappeared from karl’s eyes, and that he was no longer slumping dejectedly against the bark of the tree. “first of all, i’m cedric diggory,” karl simpered, turning his face into a pout. 

“ah, so you’re a hufflepuff. makes sense,” sapnap surmised, and enjoyed how karl snapped his mouth shut for a moment. 

“what is _that_ supposed to mean?” karl asked. 

“you just look soft, is all,” sapnap replied, shrugging. karl let out another huff of irritation, but he was also openly smiling. 

“hufflepuffs are _not_ soft! we’re loyal, and hard working. you’re lucky to be in the presence of a hufflepuff such as myself,” karl rebutted. 

“alright, alright. so you’re not soft. you’re very, _very_ hard.” sapnap joked. 

karl screeched at the comment, and sapnap broke, howling into the night air. it took him a minute to get his composure, and when he focused back onto to karl, he was back to being slumped against the tree, looking away from sapnap and pouting. 

“you’re the worst cowboy i know,” karl muttered when sapnap finally calmed down. 

“hey, i made you smile, so i can’t be that bad right?” sapnap teased softly, feeling the air shift from casual conversation to something deeper. the air seemed to grow stiller as karl looked back at him, doe eyes alight with growing sadness again. 

“yeah, guess so,” karl conceded. he looked small, scrunched up into a ball like he was again. sapnap felt an uncontrollable urge to engulf him in a giant hug, but the other man was still virtually a stranger. sapnap’s lips pursed to the side as he thought for a minute, before deciding ‘ _fuck it_ ’ and plunging. 

“why were you crying?” sapnap asked softly, and frowned as karl seemed to shrink on himself even more. 

“i wasn’t crying, you nimrod,” karl weakly protested, but he wouldn’t look back to sapnap. 

“okay, first, i’m stealing the word nimrod; it’s mine now. second, you can’t lie to me buddy o’ pal. just tell me what’s up.” 

karl finally looked back at sapnap, but he was glaring at the cowboy, and the image reminded him of a cat who was backed into a corner. “you don’t even know me. why do you care?” 

“i dunno, just do. you sounded really sad. i just wanna know if you’re okay,” sapnap replied, feeling the question rock something in his core. why _did_ he care? karl was a random kid, one of many at this party. if sapnap hadn’t walked outside at that exact moment, he would’ve probably never had even met karl. 

karl suddenly sighed, and it was like all the fight left him in the moment. he slumped back down, his glare disappearing for a watery grin. “had a fight with my boyfriend. and then he...he broke up with me and left me here. and i don’t even _know_ anyone here! he’s the popular one. i’m the president of the cartoon club! this is _not_ my scene.” karl ranted, his brows furrowing as he continued to speak. he sighed in exasperation before falling back to silence. 

it was quiet for a moment, as karl stewed in warranted sorrow and sapnap processed karl’s mini outburst. the cold air blew around them. sapnap thought for a moment, and decided to take the leap of faith. 

sapnap moved forward, and ended up sitting shoulder to shoulder with karl. “he sounds like a real fucking asshole. i would save my tears if i were you. also, i’m your friend now, so you’re not alone now,” sapnap said, trying to mold his voice into a comforting tone, knowing he was probably doing a shitty job at it. dream was the one that had a talent of calming people down. 

“we used to click so well, i don’t know what happened. one day we were fine, and the next he was just...bitter. bitter about me, bitter about us. i don’t even know what i did to push him over the edge and actually break up with me,” karl’s voice warbled a bit, and sapnap has already picked up little indicators about karl. the fact that his face was reddening meant he was feeling some type of strong emotion. his hands were clenched in front of him. his shoulders were hunched. 

“listen, karl, fuck that dude, seriously. he’s an asshole, alright? no one should leave their significant other at a party on bad terms in the first place. he’s a fucking...nimrod,” sapnap finished lamely. he felt karl’s shoulder shake, and for a moment thought he started crying, but then he heard a huff of laughter come from the other man. 

“yeah, he is a nimrod. guess i am too, for going along with it for so long. i thought we had something,” karl said dejectedly. he suddenly dropped his head against sapnap’s shoulder. “you were right, you’re super toasty, my good man,” karl murmured. sapnap felt his mouth grow disgustingly dry as the weight of karl’s head registered. sapnap did not dare move a muscle. 

he couldn’t fucking believe it, honestly. just hours prior, he was ready to get absolutely shit faced and probably wake up on the floor of dream’s bedroom, hungover and nauseous. and yet, here he was, facing a growing chance of catching hyperthermia while a boy dressed as a hufflepuff solemnly reached out for sapnap’s warmth and presence. 

“we should probably go inside, if you’re cold,” sapnap whispered into the chilly night. he stared at the house that they both faced, watching the shadows of numerous people having the time of their life, and caught himself from recoiling at the thought of entering that house. 

“no, i’m okay here,” karl replied, and sapnap felt himself smile at himself. 

and he wouldn’t trade this for the world. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you liked it! let me know what you think <3


	3. part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote most of this drunk cause i passed my classes. im still drunk shhhh
> 
> sorrrry i haven't updated in a while, finals ya know

part 2: spark

spark

/spärk/

noun

produced by striking together two hard surfaces such as stone or metal.

sapnap was enjoying his coffee and had just decided to look over his assignment details when there was a sudden disturbance of his peace. he looked up, his eyes widening at the sight of karl in front of him. he was heaving, as if he had just finished running, and his eyes were alight with fear. sapnap quickly took out his airpods, pausing the music he was listening to indefinitely, and placed them back into the case. 

“what the fuck?” sapnap asked, by way of greeting. karl took two more heaving breaths before he settled into the seat across from sapnap. 

this was the first time sapnap has seen karl after the halloween party. they had separated on good terms, sapnap calling karl an uber before rejoining the party. it had only occurred to him afterwards that he never received karl’s phone number or any social media. sapnap had no choice but to leave it there, believing that their meeting had been a one off, a missed connection. 

except now karl was in front of him again, a soft and strangely fashionable sweater on, cheeks flushed a perpetual red, and teeth ripping at his lips in anxiety. sapnap would have never guessed on meeting him in a coffee shop either, and seeing karl in broad daylight was startling in a good way. 

“hi cowboy,” karl greeted, smiling before whipping his head back to look at the door to the coffee shop. he let out a breath of relief before looking back toward sapnap, smiling nervously again. 

“what the fuck?” sapnap asked again, because he was quite at a loss. karl looked like he had just seen something terrible, and his body seemed to vibrate with nervous energy, his leg beating fast and urgent under the table, to the point where the table began to shake slightly. 

“how are you? i didn’t expect to see you so soon! you know, it had bummed me out when i realized i didn’t get your number. but then i was running past here and saw you sitting here, and thought, _hey, that scruffy beard looks familiar_ , and then i realized it was you, sapnap. so, hi, again. i’m karl, if you don’t remember,” karl chattered on quickly. the bell to the shop made a noise as the door opened, and karl whipped his head to it, before looking back toward sapnap. 

“of course i remember you. why the fuck are you acting like the cops are about to bust down the door and arrest you for murder or something?” sapnap asked, beyond confused at the turn of events his day had taken. it had been days since the halloween party, and sapnap would be lying if he hadn’t thought of the other man a couple times since then, but he never expected that he’d meet karl again, especially not when he looked so frazzled.

at this point karl had taken a napkin from the dispenser and was tearing it up into little pieces, not answering sapnap’s questions. karl was looking down as his hands worked, and sapnap watched as karl created a bigger and bigger mess. before he knew what he was doing, he was shooting his hand out and encircling karl’s smaller wrist. he tried to ignore how small karl’s hands seemed to be compared to his. 

karl finally looked up at sapnap again, eyes wide. “you’re freaking me out dude,” sapnap said, voice deadpan. karl seemed to suddenly deflate at the words. his posture fell back into the chair completely, and his shoulders slumped. he pouted, looking away from sapnap. 

“i may have seen my ex coming this way and panicked. he had a _girl_ with him, hanging on his arm,” karl moaned in despair, folding his arms on the table and dropping his head into them. sapnap felt pity for the poor sight in front of him. 

“so you saw me and dove for the chance of a scapegoat, huh?” sapnap surmised, pursing his lips in wary amusement. karl peeked his eyes from where he was hiding his head, before furrowing his eyebrows. 

“don’t say it like that. i’m genuinely happy i met you again. i’m just happier i won’t look like a complete loser in front of him,” karl laughed drily, “am i pathetic or what?” 

before sapnap could answer, the bell in front of the door tinkled, meaning that someone had opened it. karl whipped his head to see, before groaning and covering his head back into his hands. sapnap flicked his eyes toward the door to see a guy and girl walk in, and just as karl had said, the girl was all but hanging off the guy. they were both laughing boisterously, seeming to be in their own world. they both looked really attractive together. sapnap looked back to karl and could physically see him sinking into the floor. 

“hey,” sapnap said quietly. karl only groaned in sadness in response. “karl, get up,” sapnap insisted, a stupid and idiotic plan forming in his brain. karl looked up briefly, and just the sight of his somber eyes cemented the idea in sapnap’s head, but he could just see his future self berating him. 

“let me wallow and hide from them,” karl muttered in sadness. sapnap rolled his eyes and grabbed karl’s hand quickly. karl jumped at the sudden touch, looking at him with surprise. sapnap smiled at karl and held his hand across the table, and tried to ignore how karl’s hand fit perfectly in his own. 

“follow my lead,” sapnap whispered. sapnap took a quick breath before letting out a loud laugh, scrunching his face to look for all intent and purposes, like he was talking to one of the funniest people in the world. 

“oh, karl, you’re just so great!” sapnap exclaimed loudly. karl’s face went bright red at the sudden audience the both of them received. he looked at sapnap like he was crazy, which only made this far more funny to sapnap.

sapnap rolled his eyes to left, over to where karl’s ex was standing, before breaking out into a grin that read _go with it_. 

karl let out a surprised huff of laughter, before shaking his head and giving sapnap what seemed a genuine smile. “i can say the same about you, sappity nappity,” karl replied, squeezing sapnap’s hand, and sapnap wasn’t sure if he was reassuring sapnap or himself. 

“so tell me about what you like to do,” sapnap urged, partly to play up the bit and partly because he really wanted to know. he was speaking louder than he usually would, wanting to attract as much attention as he could. 

karl bit his lip, seeming to actually think about the answer for a moment before speaking, “well, i’m in school for animation, and i go crazy over cartoons. i have so many collectibles and like...signed memorabilia. it’s kind of worrying at this point,” karl admitted, “oh, and survivor. you can catch me watching survivor to the day i die.” 

sapnap watched as karl seemed to light up on the inside when he spoke about his interests, his eyes sparkling. “that’s really cool, like actually. we should watch something together sometime,” sapnap said, and he wasn’t even saying it for the bit. he really wanted to talk to karl more, and hang out with him more often. 

“really? we should totally watch _over the garden wall_. it’s perfect for this time of the year,” karl gushed, and he seemed to jump in his seat in excitement. sapnap watched in rapt interest as karl completely forgot about his ex, the situation in general, and completely relax in the coffee shop. 

“that’ll be cool, yeah,” sapnap agreed, and he really believed he’d agree to anything at that point just to see karl again. if karl suggested robbing a bank for their next outing, sapnap wouldn’t have even bat an eye. 

“karl? karl!” a sudden voice broke through the brief silence between the two of them, and karl completely froze. he seemed to remember just exactly where he was at that moment, and sapnap watched as the spell of brief tranquility broke. it was sapnap’s turn to squeeze karl’s hand, that he was _still holding_ , before turning to meet the wretched ex head on.

said ex was standing over them, a fake smile etched into his face and dark blue eyes piercing down at the both of them. he seemed to be the exact opposite of sapnap. where sapnap was stocky and had an average height, karl’s ex was tall and lithe, his body angular and seemingly fluid in a way that sapnap would have never been able to achieve. he suddenly felt self conscious in front of the dude in his ratty old hoodie and sweats from high school. he realized that what he was wearing definitely didn’t scream date material, even if this was all a hoax. 

“hi dylan,” karl greeted with a frown. he looked at his ex, dylan apparently, with half anguish and half anger. they both stared at each other for a long while, seeming to have a silent conversation. sapnap would’ve believed karl had forgotten about him if it wasn’t for the steadfast grip that karl had on his hand. 

after a minute of silence, dylan finally broke eye contact with karl, turning his gaze to assess sapnap. it was kind of intimidating, especially with the “ _ew, a roach_ ” look that dylan had on his face when he looked at sapnap. “introduce me to your friend, karl,” dylan requested, his high and mighty eyes making sapnap’s blood boil in a way he has never felt before. 

“uhm this is sap- _nick_. we’re on a date,” karl explained, and sapnap felt a jolt of shock run through him. his real name coming from karl felt different, felt nice. it had jarred him so much it took him a moment to realize it was his time to shine in the spotlight. 

he cleared his throat awkwardly before saying, “please leave.” 

there was a sudden snort of laughter from karl as he quickly let go of sapnap’s hand to cover his mouth. sapnap smirked at the noise, feeling more confident. he didn’t care what this asshole thought of him. his only job was to make him as uncomfortable as possible, and make karl as satisfied as he could. “as karl here-” sapnap paused to glance at karl with what was hopefully an expression of everlasting devotion before looking back to dylan with an unimpressed look, “we’re on a date. so why don’t you just skidaddle.” he ended his small speech with a spiteful smile. 

dylan looked at sapnap with a look that screamed disgust before looking back at karl, ignoring sapnap completely. “when you’re done...acting out, we can talk. until then, have fun with this-” he looked at sapnap for a moment before smirking, “ _fashionable_ piece of garbage.” with that, dylan turned swiftly and walked away, heading back to the girl who was watching them with a glare of her own. they both quickly exited the store without a backward glance. 

it was silent for a moment before sapnap let out a small snort, letting go peals of laughter. “ _holy shit,_ was he born with a stick up his ass or had it magically appeared one day,” sapnap cackled, his shoulders shaking, “seriously, how could you deal with that?” sapnap asked, because dylan and karl could be polar opposites. karl was the embodiment of warmth and sweetness, and dylan seemed to be the definition of frost and bitterness. sapnap could not think of any way that the two of them could even become friends, much less lovers. 

karl looked absolutely desolate when sapnap calmed down enough to look over to the brunette. his shoulders were slumped and he looked as if he had received the worst possible news in the world, not that he just pranked his ex and probably bruised his ego. “hey, what’s wrong?” sapnap asked, because, at least to sapnap, this had _worked_. he saw the reluctant but very much there jealousy in dylan’s eyes, the look of a man who’s pride had been hurt. 

karl sighed before letting his head fall into his hands and letting out a groan. “i think we just caused a bigger problem,” karl admitted, his voice muffled. 

“what are you talking about?” sapnap asked, confused at the sudden turn of events. he thought karl would be happy that they would show up that douchebag, but with karl’s words, sapnap was beginning to regret his plan.

“he’s in almost all my classes, sap,” karl explained, finally looking up at sapnap, “we’re both animation students. it’s how we met. he’s going to see me nearly every day.” 

“soo…?” sapnap trailed off, the question implied by his tone of voice. _what does that have to with this?_

karl smiled ruefully, “it’s gonna be obvious this was fake after a while. he _knows_ me. we’ve been together a while. the only reason that this worked in the first place is because he didn’t want to be rude to you,” karl admitted. 

“ _that_ was him trying not to be rude? i don’t want to see him when he doesn’t like something he ordered at a restaurant,” sapnap muttered. by the wince of slight pain that passed through karl’s expression, sapnap could take a guess that karl had seen that, first hand. it makes him wonder just why karl stayed with that dude. 

“anyways, he’s totally going to grill me the next time we have class. and i’m kind of terrible at lying, especially to him. he can catch me fibbing from a mile away. and when he _does_ find out we just made this whole date thing up, he’s gonna be ten times the dimwit he was just now.” karl dropped his head back into his hands, as if there was absolute no way to recover from this. 

except, sapnap’s gears were already turning in his head. he went back and forth in his head for a minute, wondering if he should actually voice his idea allowed, and risk losing all potential friendship with karl. but he hated seeing karl so distraught, and the thought of seeing that asshole more smug than he already is rubbed sapnap the wrong way.

“why don’t i just...continue to fake date you?” sapnap asked, treading the line between seriousness and joking. he didn’t want to completely freak karl out with the proposition, so he let his voice lilt in a way that could be taken as a joke if need be. 

karl looked up quickly, and the surprised look cut through sapnap. his inner consciousness screamed at him, berating him for voicing the suggestion out loud. it should stayed in his head, he had no business butting into karl’s problems like this- he barely knew the other kid- this was a bad idea, a _really_ bad idea-

“really?” karl asked, and sapnap felt his mouth go dry at the look of absolute hope on karl’s face. wow, he didn’t expect that response in a million years. 

“i mean...yeah. i can show up at the end of your classes maybe? bring a can of monster as a gift sometimes. ya know...the whole...shebang…” sapnap trailed off. the growing look of absolute admiration and gratitude on karl’s face became worrying. 

“that would be...really cool of you sapnap,” karl chimed, and the grin he sported drowned out any reserves sapnap had for this stupid, _stupid_ plan. 

“okay, so we continue to date. just until he realizes this whole thing is a lost cause and he leaves you alone,” sapnap planned, and karl nodded along, looking more and more giddy at the prospect of this idea. 

“deal, deal, deal,” karl agreed, and his excitement was a far cry from the dejected look he had sported just a moment ago. sapnap had a sudden strange thought, something half formed and already mostly forgotten, but it struck him the moment karl looked at him, his doe eyes full of hope and elatedness, of true happiness: _you’re going to regret this_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lemme know what you think :)


	4. part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! i'm so sorry for not updating in a while. i was meaning to for my winter break and then procrastination happened so that's all my fault :( unfortunately i start back up school next week ahaha sooo i wrote you guys a semi-long chapter as an apology <3 
> 
> i hope you guys enjoy!

part 3: ignite

/iɡˈnīt/

verb

catch fire or cause to catch fire.

_2 months before combustion_

sapnap found himself standing outside a lecture hall at a time where he would usually be at dream’s frat house, playing video games with the other and george. instead, he had to cancel the weekly ritual, coming up with a half excuse about meeting up with peers to study with them. it was a shitty lie, since both dream and george know he’s smart enough to get by without forming a study group, but it was better than admitting he was in a ploy to fake date a dude he met twice before to get his ex jealous. 

so, that’s why sapnap was waiting impatiently outside the lecture hall, leaning on one of the walls, while students milled around him, waiting for the class to get out as well. there was a sudden loud chatter from inside the lecture hall, along with the sound of hundreds of chairs snapping up as kids got up and began speaking with their friends. sapnap’s phone chimed with a text at that moment, karl’s name coming up with a text that said “ _we’re done, you here?”._ sapnap replied with a quick _yeah_ , and felt butterflies form in his stomach. it wasn’t like this was real or anything, but this is the first time he’d see karl after the coffee shop deal, so maybe sapnap was a little nervous. 

the students began to pile out by droves, the double doors creating a small bottleneck as people tried to get out as fast as possible. after the first major rush, the slower students began to leave sparsely, and that’s when sapnap saw karl, holding the straps to his purple bookbag and looking around fervently. sapnap whistled and raised his hand in a wave. karl’s eyes zoned in on sapnap’s before his mouth split into a big smile. his eyes twinkled, and sapnap felt the pretty look punch him straight to the gut. 

“hi, sapnap,” karl greeted, great big smile still on his face, his voice light and airy. his grasp on the straps of his bookbag were the only indications that he seemed nervous. 

“hi, karl,” sapnap replied, seemingly at a loss of words. it was awkward for a moment, both of them trying to find something to talk about. they both looked around, before karl cleared his throat. 

“is that for me,” karl asked, indicating to the cold monster can in sapnap’s hand. sapnap had forgotten it was in his grasp, and let out a small oh before pushing it into karl’s hands. 

“yeah, yeah, i forgot to give it to you. i know you said something about being tired after this class, so here you go,” sapnap muttered, scratching the back of his head. he didn’t know why he was being so awkward. it wasn’t like he was really dating karl. it was all for the purpose of making his ex as jealous as possible, and for him to leave karl alone. and yet, it seemed difficult for sapnap to find the chill that usually possessed his character. 

karl looked genuinely happy as he received his little gift, looking at sapnap with shining eyes. “yeah, i texted that to you like, in passing. that’s really cool of you to remember, sapnap,” karl chimed, before quickly opening the can and taking a long gulp. he let out a breath of relief as he swallowed the drink, closing his eyes like he was savoring it. sapnap rolled his eyes at the obvious theatrics. 

sapnap looked around as karl sipped his drink, and saw that dylan was finally leaving the lecture room, one of the last stragglers. sapnap looked back at karl before suddenly clasping their hands together. karl looked startled at the new point of contact, but that look only lasted for a moment before he seemed to remember just why sapnap was there at the moment. karl sighed aloud, “i really appreciate you meeting up with me after class. i’m really excited to watch movies with you later. your apartment is really nice,” karl commented, ramping up their conversation with some flirting. he winked at sapnap. (he had never actually been to sapnap’s apartment).

“anything for you, babe,” sapnap cooed back, trying to be overly, sickly cute. karl blushed at sapnap’s response, and sapnap wondered if he could force himself to blush like that or if it was a genuine reaction. karl giggled, bumping his shoulder into sapnap’s. sapnap looked up, and saw that dylan was openly staring at them, around his own group of friends, a frown marring his picturesque features. sapnap smiled slyly at him, winking just to see his reaction. dylan’s face transformed into one of disgust, and sapnap could hear the scoff of disgust all the way on the other side of the room. 

sapnap looked back down to see karl staring at him with a curious expression. sapnap took a leap of fate and placed his arm over karl’s shoulder, leading him out of the building. “karl, i’m just so happy we met, and i get to see you like this,” sapnap hummed, passing dylan as they made their way to the door that lead to the outside. karl let out a cough of surprise. sapnap smiled mischievously as the double doors opened for them. karl was quick to envelop his arm behind sapnap’s back right before dylan would lose sight of him. “oh really, nick? if i didn’t know better you had a crush on me,” karl teased back. the doors closed behind them, hiding them from dylan’s view permanently. the two of them looked at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. 

“oh my god, i can’t believe we did that,” karl wheezed, clutching his monster in his hands. sapnap looked at him as he laughed, hiding his laughing mouth in his other hand. he looked really nice there, sapnap thought, the falling sun illuminating karl in an orange hue. sapnap suddenly choked on his laugh, looking away and down the street. it was half empty, most students already on their way home or still stuck in class. 

“so, uhm, ready to go?” sapnap asked, looking back at karl. karl was still giggling softly into his hand but nodded, taking a quick breath to calm down. they had both decided to hang out anyways, karl boasting about wanting to watch his favorite studio ghibli movie with sapnap as a right of passage. 

“yes, yes, i’m so ready. i hope you have snacks at your place,” karl said as they began their short walk to sapnap’s place. 

“i mean duh, what do you take me for, a broke college student?” sapnap joked, and the look on karl’s dubious face caused the both of them to break out into soft laughter again. as it died down, sapnap felt something grab his hand. he looked down to see karl enveloping their hands again. sapnap looked up at karl with a raised eyebrow. 

karl shrugged at the look, taking another sip of his monster. “he’s very popular. it might get back to him,” he explained half heartedly. sapnap pursed his lips for a moment but just ended up shrugging off the explanation. 

they walked down toward sapnap’s apartment as the sun set, making small talk random things. it was relaxing, just talking to karl about inane things like the weird pigeon that wouldn’t stop following them or the weirdest class they’ve ever taken. 

sapnap believed, as karl wove a tale about the weirdo professor who taught his survey of arts class last year, that their first excursion as a fake couple had gone really well. 

picking up karl from his lecture class every week became customary, along with dropping him off at his animation class. they hung out in public frequently as well, finding breaks in both their schedules that lined up to hang around cafes, the library, or their apartments. 

sapnap had never had a reason to enter the art building of their college, but he ended up really liking it. karl had shown him around the place, and he met a lot of cool people through karl, art majors of all backgrounds and focuses who all seemed a tad weird or dysfunctional in a way. there was wilbur, a british transfer student who was focusing on music and who always spoke in cryptic statements and towered over them all and his best friend niki, who seemed to always have a different hair color every time sapnap saw her, 

by far, sapnap’s favorite person that karl had introduced him to was alex, or as karl called him, quackity. his personality was one of the most interesting and funniest sapnap had ever interacted with. he was a law major, but was pursuing music as a minor, and he seemed to get along with wilbur and niki as well. there were times where sapnap would drop off karl to his animation class (always in the view of karl’s ex who was rapidly becoming more and more disheartened the more times he saw sapnap trailing behind karl), and see alex hanging out in of the many rooms created for students to chill or study in, and join him for the hour before he had to go to his own class. 

their fake relationship soon began to evolve, with more and more people falling for the bit. niki had cooed on how adorable the two of them were, and alex was quick to bemoan the fact that he lost the love of his life to sapnap. it was frightening, how easy karl and sapnap had fell into the role. sapnap felt kind of bad about lying to so many people, but he was doing this for karl, and if karl didn’t say anything about it, neither would sapnap.

it was also mind blowing, how quickly karl seemed to create a space in sapnap’s life. the days blurred by, finals approaching quickly. they spoke nearly every day, and sapnap grew closer to more and more of karl’s own friends. sapnap had even introduced karl to dream and george, his two best friends harassing sapnap into explaining why he was blowing them off so much. he didn’t explain the predicament to either of them, but he hadn’t been overly touchy with karl either, introducing him as a friend to the both of them only. when he did though, sapnap had seen the slight flinch that karl produced at the word friend, but decided it was only because he must have been used to sapnap calling him his boyfriend to others. 

dream and george were quick to shower affection and appreciation onto karl, while also managing to embarrass sapnap along the way. 

“so, you’re the one who sapnap spends all his time with,” dream had commented, smirking. sapnap rolled his eyes as dream assessed his new friend. dream was always protective of his friends, and so was always wary of new people, which showed itself as smugness and teasing. 

“oh am i? for shame, sapnap, leaving your friends in the dust for me,” karl replied, looking at sapnap with a grin of his own. george laughed from his spot on the couch, preoccupied with a game of COD. sapnap scoffed in response. 

“i need new friends, seriously,” sapnap simpered, pouting at the both of them. george continued to cackle from his spot on the couch, looking back as his character got shot on screen. “you know we’re the only ones who can deal with you, sappitus,” and with that he turned back around to focus once more on his game. 

after that, they chilled out bit, ending up watching a shitty movie and ordering take out. it was nice, and by the end of it, karl was officially adopted into their group of friends, becoming an honorary member. 

the night was just about over when it all fell apart, at least for sapnap. karl had went to the bathroom before he and sapnap were going to head it. the moment the door to the bathroom clicked close, both george and dream rounded onto sapnap, looking at him with a mix of pity and excitement. 

“what?” sapnap asked, weirded out by the twin expressions on his best friends’ faces. 

“you like him,” dream accused, “alot,” george finished. 

sapnap sputtered at the statements, looking at the both of them like they’ve gone crazy. “what the fuck? no i don’t,” sapnap hissed back, forcibly keeping his voice low, because the walls in george’s apartment were thin. 

“you let him have your last egg roll,” dream replied, pointing an accusatory finger at sapnap. sapnap guffawed.   
“i wasn’t hungry anymore,” sapnap denied, getting up from the couch as if he could physically end the conversation. both of his friends laughed. 

“don’t lie, we know how much you can eat,” george insisted, looking at him with narrowed eyes, “he asked for it and you just gave it to him. that’s code for ‘i like you’ in sapnap. you’re not slick,” george finished. sapnap huffed again, and was going to respond to their _outlandish_ claims when karl suddenly opened the door. sapnap’s mouth shut and he looked at karl with a smile. 

“ready?” karl asked, looking nervously as all three of them stared at karl with similar, strained smiles. 

both george and dream got out of their seats, leading sapnap and karl to the front door. “we should hang out again. we’re really glad we met you,” dream remarked as they made it to the door. sapnap opened it for them and the two of them passed through the frame, looking back at dream and george. 

“yeah, that would be really cool. thanks for inviting me again,” karl replied, smiling genuinely at the two. they said their goodbyes quickly and soon enough karl and sapnap were on there way to karl’s place, an apartment he shared with his childhood friend chris. 

sapnap was quiet the whole walk to karl’s place, stewing on the accusations dream and george threw at him so suddenly. it just wasn’t true; it couldn’t be. he was in a fake relationship just so karl can get back at his narcissistic ex. other than that, they were just strictly friends. they had to be, even with all the instances where sapnap’s skin felt like it was burning when karl looked at him, even when karl made sapnap laugh the hardest he has ever had in his life, even when just watching karl rant about his classes or his favorite cartoons brought sapnap more joy than he could ever think possible. 

so they walked in semi silence, sapnap quietly freaking out next to karl. he didn’t even notice when they reached karl’s apartment until karl suddenly grabbed his hand. sapnap stopped in his tracks, the touch freezing him in place. sapnap looked at him, the streetlight above them illuminating the both of them. it was cold, terribly so, but all sapnap could focus on was karl’s pink nose and the soft clouds of air that karl produced by breathing. 

“sorry if i made things weird,” karl suddenly spoke, laughing awkwardly into the air. 

sapnap looked at him with wide eyes, “what the hell are you talking about?” sapnap asked. he did not expect that to come from karl’s mouth in a million years. 

“it seemed weird, especially toward the end,” karl admitted, “it was probably my fault.” 

sapnap could not believe he was hearing this come from karl’s mouth. “no, you were perfect, trust me. they loved you. they were the ones being really weird. don’t worry, okay?” sapnap thought back to the walk to karl’s home, and only just realized that karl had also been uncharastically quiet. he hoped that karl hadn’t been overthinking about that. 

“really?” karl asked, and sapnap nodded quickly. karl smiled at him, and all previous thoughts flew out of sapnap’s mind. it didn’t matter whether he liked karl or not; he was here for the other, and his feelings were irrelevant in this. it was all for brunette in front of him. 

“okay,” karl let out a breath of relief, smiling at sapnap with a small smile. “it was really fun though. your friends are really cool,” karl complemented. sapnap felt a little bit of joy at the statement, pride that dream and george left a good impression on karl. 

“of course they are, they’re my friends. i don’t have shitty friends,” sapnap replied. karl laughed quietly, and they both fell silent for a moment. they looked at eachother, their hands still gripped together. it was silent between them, and sapnap was again reminded that karl had no right being so pretty. 

“uhm, i have to go now,” karl murmured into the silent air. sapnap realized that they were both really close to each other at the moment. karl’s cheeks were flushed red, and sapnap didn’t know if it was because of the cold or because of how close they were. 

“yeah?” sapnap asked, tilting his head and looking at karl with slanted eyes. he smirked as karl looked away, huffing out a nervous laugh. 

“yeah,” karl mimicked, seemingly at a loss of words. karl looked back at sapnap, a timid but warm smile on his face, and sapnap felt something in him crack. in a blink of an eye, sapnap had leaned in, kissing karl on the lips. karl was frozen for a moment, before he slowly kissed back, and sapnap felt like he could probably die in that moment and be completely happy of the fact. 

they separated after a moment, karl letting out a soft breath of surprise. they looked at each other, eyes wide. karl let out a nervous giggle, looking away. 

“that just happened,” karl whispered softly.

“yeah,” sapnap said awkwardly, trying to get his brain to reboot after quite possibly having the best kiss of his life. 

karl squeezed sapnap’s hands, looking at him with a bright grin and eyes that sparkled. “i’ll talk to you later okay?” karl murmured, and sapnap only had the mental capacity to nod dumbly. karl let go of sapnap’s hands and for a moment caressed sapnap’s cheek before kissing him one more time on the lips, a brief fleeting thing, before walking into the apartment complex. 

sapnap stood there for a moment, stunned beyond belief. he looked at the building that karl walked into just moments below and realized two things: 

  1. dream was seemingly never wrong in his life and, 
  2. maybe, liking karl was not as much as a burden as he previously thought.



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tell me what you guys think! 
> 
> twitter: @honkdemi


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